Mail-sack-delivering mechanism



No. 618,397; Patnted Ian. 31, I899.

M. D. CUMMINGS.

MAIL SACK DELIVERING MECHANISM. (Application filed Sept. 20, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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C4 D5 wa ATTORNEY No. 618,397. Patentd Jan. 31, I899. m. n. cummmes.

MAIL SACK DELIVERING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Sept. 20, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-5heet 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR fig. I Manrm/J/ zaemmny;

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UNITE STATES PATENT MONTROVILL D. CUMMINGS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

MAlL-SACK-DELIVERING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 618,397, dated January31, 1899.

Application filed September 20,1897. Serial No- 652,321. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, 'MONTBOVILL D. CUM- MINGS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State ofOhio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inMail-Sack-Delivering Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

-My invention relates to the improvement of mail-sack-deliveringmechanism; and the objects of my invention are to provide for use, inconjunction with mail-cars and railwaystations, a superior mechanism forthe safe discharge of mail-matter from a moving car; to so construct andarrange the parts of my improved mechanism as to deliver one or moresacks or bundles of mail or similar matter in a suitable receptacleprovided therefor at a station; to so construct the delivering mechanismwhich is connected with the car as to provide for the contents thereofbeing automatically discharged therefrom and to provide for theautomatic folding of said device into a compact form after suchdischarge; to admit of my improved delivering mechanism being rapidlyand conveniently operated; to

construct the same in a reliable and inexpensive manner, and to produceother improvements, which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter.These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a mail-car,showing the delivering device in the position which it occupies justprior to the discharge of its contents. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of aportion of a car, taken on line 00 0c of Fig. 1, showing end views of myimproved discharging and receiving mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional viewon line y y of Fig. 1, showing in full lines the position of the partsduring the discharge of the mail-sacks and in dotted lines the positionof said parts immediately prior to such discharge. Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of aportion of a car, showing the position of my improveddischarging device after the same has discharged its contents and passedthe receiver; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view'on line 2 z of Fig. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 represents a mail-car, of which 2 represents one of the side doorways.Secured to the side of the car on opposite sides of the doorway arevertical angle-bars 3, the latter extending below the bottom of thecar-body and being preferablybent slightly beneath the latter in themanner indicated more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. With theupper portion of these angle-bars are jointedly connected correspondingends of arms or bars 5, the outer or remaining ends of the latter beingjointedly connected with the ends of a vertical front plate 6, whichextends between said bar ends and forms the outer wall of a sack holdingand discharging cage 6.

'7 represents small catch-plates, which are centrally jou rnaled at 8 tothe under side and forward portion of the front plate 6, thesecatch-plates being normally retained in the horizontal positionsindicated in the drawings.

10 represents the bottom plate of the sack supporting and dischargingcage, which has its inner edge hinged, as indicated, to a horizontalhinge-rod 11, which extends in front of the door-sill of the car. Eachend of the bottom plate 10 is provided in its rear portion with anoutwardly-extending pin 10 The forward edge portion of the bottom plate10 is adapted, as indicated in the drawings, to be supported upon therearwardlyextending portions of the catch-plates 7, said plate 10 thusforming a bottom for the folding cage formed by the front plate 6 andend bars 5. The catches 7 are normally retained in horizontal positionsor in such positions as to support said bottom plate 10 through themedium of triggers 12, the upper end portions of which are pivoted at 13to the front plate 6, while the lower and angular portions of saidtriggers bear upon the forwardly-extending portions of saidcatch-plates. As indicated in the drawings, the triggers are connectedby a transverse rod 14:, and each of said triggers is provided with adownwardly-extending contact portion 12 15 represents jointed bracearms,each of said arms being formed, as shown in the drawings, of twosections which are jointedly connected at 16. I employ one of thesebrace-arms at each end of the cage 6, the rear or inner end of the rearor inner arm section being pivoted at 16 to the lower end Figs. 1 and 2of the drawings.

ing a station where a sack or sacks are to be delivered from the movingtrain said sacks the remaining section is similarly connected with theouter end of the upper bar 5 at 16 It is obvious that when saidbrace-arm sections are extended to the positions indicated in full linesin Figs. 2 and 3 the cage or box will be supported in anopen positionfrom the car or with itsend arms 5 at right angles with its front plate6.

17 represents a lever which is substantially of a bellcrank form andwhich is fulcrumed at its angle within the car-doorway, as in dicated at18. The lower and outwardlyextending arm 19 of the lever 17 is, throughthe medium of the desired number of links 20 or otherwise, jointedlyconnected with the bottom plate 10 of the cage.

In conjunction with the above-described folding cage I support adjacentto the railway-track at each station a mail-sack-receiv ing receptacle21. This receptacle 21 is preferably formed, as indicated in thedrawings, of two suitably-formed end plates 22, which are supportedvertically from its extensions or other suitable foundations and betweenwhich extend parallel rods 23. The arrangement of these rods is such asto provide, in conjunction with said end pieces, a partial cylindricalreceptacle, the upper side of which is open to receive the mail-sacks inthe manner hereinafter described.

As indicated in the drawings, the receptacle 21 is supported in suchposition with reference to the track and car thereon as to result in thedepending end portions 12 of the triggers 12 coming into contact withthe end of said receptacle when the discharging-cage is in its extendedor open position.

In order to illustrate the operation of my improvedmail-sack-discharging mechanism, we will assume that thedischarging-cage is in the open or extended position indicated in Onapproachare placed in the cage 6 upon the floor-plate 10 thereof. WVhenthe car has reached the delivering-point, the contact of the triggerextensions 12 with that end of the receiving-receptacle which is nearestthe approaching car results in throwing said trigger-arms to the angleindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In this manner theforwardly-projecting portions of the catch-plates are released and thelatter caused, through the weight of the bottom plate 10, to temporarilyswing to vertical positions. This operation results in said bottom platedroppingdownward until its forward portion is resting and travelingwithin the mouth of the receptacle 2l,and the contents of the cage aredischarged, in the manner indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, into thereceptacle. The inclined bottom plate 10, having become disengaged fromthe receptacle 21, swings inward to a vertical position, and thisinward-swinging movement of said bottom plate results in a contact ofthe pins 10 with the under sides of the inner sections of the brace-arms15 and in the said sections being thus caused to fold upward and inward,one against the other. The brace-arms thus folding against the bars 3,it is obvious that the jointedly-connected end bars and front plate ofthe cage will fold into the substantially vertical positions inclicatedmore clearly in Fig. 5 of the drawings. In the manner described it willbe seen that the cage will thus be caused to depend from the car in acompact form and in such position as to prevent its parts coming intocon tact with platforms or other constructions ad jacent to thetrackway.

Owing to the receptacle 21 being formed of open-work, it is evident thatsaid receptacle will not retain water, snow, dsc.

It is obvious that my improved mail-sackdelivering mechanism maybeemployed on cars which are provided with the ordinary or any suitablemailsack-catching device.

From the construction and operation described it will be seen thatsimple and reliable means are provided for delivering sacks or bundlesof mail from a rapidly-moving postal car and that the same will bedelivered safely and withoutnnnecessary injury to the sacks or theircontents. It is also evident that my improved delivering mechanism maybe produced at a reasonable cost of manufacture and that the same may beconnected with any of the ordinary forms of mail-cars.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a mail-sack-delivering device thecombination with a mail-car, of a delivering-receptacle having the sideshinged to said car and adapted to be temporarily supported in an open orextended position therefrom, a hinged bottom in said receptacle andmeans for automatically releasing said bottom to allow it to dropdownward or to an open position, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. In a mail-sack-delivering mechanism the combination with a mail-car,of a deliveringreceptacle consisting of jointedly connecting and foldingparts and having a hinged bottom piece, means for automaticallyreleasing said bottom piece to allow it to drop downward, and means forautomatically closing the parts of said receptacle into a foldedposition and compact form, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

3. In a mail-sack-delivering mechanism the combination with a car havinga doorway,a delivering-receptacle jointedly connected with said car andconsisting of j ointedly-connected parts, a hinged bottom in saidreceptacle, catchp1ates adapted to support said bottom in a closed orhorizontal position, triggers pivotally connected with said receptacleand adapted by contact with a structure at the side of the track, torelease said catch-plates, substantially as and for the purposespecified. 4 v

4. In a mail-sack-deliverin g mechanism the combination with a carhaving a doorway, of a mail-delivering receptacle jointedly connectedwith said car and consisting of jointedly-connecting parts, saidreceptacle having a hinged bottom piece,fulcrumed catch-plates adaptedto normally support said bottom plate in a closed position, triggerspivotally connected with said receptacle and normally retaining saidcatch-plates in locked positions, a stationary mail-receiving receptaclearranged at the side of the car-track and in 15 the path of saidtriggers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

MONTROVILL D. CUMMINGS.

In presence of- O. O. SHEPHERD, P.. S. KARSHNER.

